1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an implantable heart defibrillator with at least one intracardiac defibrillation electrode.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An apparatus for detecting and treating heart arrhythmias with both pacemaker stimulation and defibrillation shocks is known through U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,054 and Paul J. Troup, "Implantable Cardioverters and Defibrillators, Current Problems in Cardiology", Year Book Medical Publishers, Inc., Chicago, volume XIV, no. 12, December 1989, p. 699 ff.
Heart cells are affected by the defibrillation shock for a time following a defibrillation pulse, making cells around the stimulation electrode difficult to excite with ordinary stimulation pulses from a pacemaker.